The European Championships in Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics will take place from 13 to 23 August at Arena Zagreb, with as many as four top-level gymnastics competitions being held at the same time:
• 36th European Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships
• 37th European Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships
• 15th European Junior Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships
• 15th European Junior Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
This will be the largest gymnastics competition in Croatia in the last four decades, since the 1987 Universiade. It is also the first European Gymnastics Championships to be organised in our country.
With a total of 670 registered athletes from 44 countries, the Zagreb edition will be the largest in the history of the competition. The event carries additional significance because the senior and junior European championships will be held simultaneously. Each day, 5,000 spectators will follow the competitions live at Arena Zagreb, while the broadcast will reach the homes of tens of millions of viewers across Europe. The competition will be broadcast by Croatian Radiotelevision.
Zagreb’s role as host will be remembered for significant advances in European gymnastics. For the first time, a prize fund has been secured for female and male gymnasts and their coaches, further confirming the importance of this championship and the developmental step forward it represents.
Photo credit: Simone Ferraro
The attention of both younger and older audiences is certain to be drawn by the promotion of parkour, a new and highly dynamic gymnastics discipline, which will be presented by top European performers. Adrenaline-fuelled and visually impressive, parkour will bring an entirely new dimension to gymnastics through spectacular jumps—one that audiences rarely have the opportunity to experience live.
In addition to the athletes, the European Championships in Zagreb will also bring together the academic community, which will actively contribute to the development and future of gymnastics through the scientific and professional conference “Smarter Gymnastics”. Organised in cooperation with the University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology, the three-day conference, taking place from 21 to 23 August, will help connect science and practice in gymnastics, encourage knowledge exchange, promote the application of scientific insights in training, and establish international cooperation among institutions. It will cover all recognised gymnastics disciplines—from men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics to trampoline, acrobatics, aerobics, parkour, TeamGym, and Gymnastics for All.
Photo credit: Simone Ferraro
The Croatian national team colours will be represented in Zagreb this August by Aurel Benović, Filip Ude, Tin Srbić, Illia Kovtun, Mateo Žugec, and Marko Jovičić. This will also mark the debut appearance under the Croatian flag for Illia Kovtun, a multiple European champion and Olympic and World silver medallist. The young Ukrainian, who received Croatian citizenship last year and became a member of GK Osijek Žito, will gain the right to compete after the expiry of a one-year quarantine period shortly before the European Championships.
The names of the Croatian female gymnasts who will step onto the European stage in front of the home crowd will be known in mid-July, while Tijana Korent and Tina Zelčić have already secured their places.
Alongside a top-class sporting spectacle, the European Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb will also be an unforgettable experience for the whole family—a true summer “blockbuster”. Children will be able to try out gymnastics disciplines themselves in the kids’ corner and on the parkour course.
The organisers have also prepared special benefits for visitors. A 20 percent discount is granted when purchasing four or five tickets, while admission is free for children up to the age of six, provided they do not occupy a seat in the stands.
VIP tickets are also on sale and include premium seats, access to the VIP lounge, catering and drinks, as well as a separate entrance and parking. Regular tickets are available through Core Event, while reservations for VIP packages, due to the limited number of places, are accepted at hospitality@echzagreb2026.com. More information about the competition is available at https://echzagreb2026.com/.